Little Chris suffers from deadly children's cancer❗️HELP IS NEEDED❗️

UPDATE

April 15, 2024, at 10:56 am

More CANCER DRAMA❗️We are desperately running out of time❗️

The more I visit the hospital, the more I realize that cancer is hell. When we return home, we enjoy spending quality time together and forget about the disease. These are rare moments, though. 

Each time we return to the cancer unit, I see how great our enemy is. That's what brings me back down to earth. 

We frequently learn about children who are either transferred to hospice care due to a failed cancer treatment or die. It's heartbreaking, so we must do our best to protect our son against cancer recurrence!

Otherwise, Chris will share their fate. Please help us win our battle! 

We have recently started another treatment - radiation therapy. We have 14 sessions ahead of us - of the left adrenal gland and above the right adrenal gland (where the tumor was removed). Each of them must be done under anesthesia to prevent Chris from moving. 

Due to the tumor resection, the intestines became exposed to radiation. Chris switched to a special diet to minimize the side effects of therapy, which might include nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. Also, the radiation near the spine could result in scoliosis, affect spinal development, and cause a risk of developing another type of cancer.

Tears are rolling down my eyes again because I cannot protect our little boy from the pain and suffering. I had to give my consent to his life-saving treatment, though. He bravely takes on every necessary procedure! 

Chris is about to undergo surgery to insert a second tube into his tiny body. It means another stay in the operating room, being on an empty stomach for hours, and facing another anesthesia. 

Every CT scan, scintigraphy, bone marrow biopsy, trephine biopsy, and now radiotherapy must be performed under anesthesia. Despite that, our 14-month-old Chris is a happy boy who has just learned to walk. 

My beloved husband and I, the parents of four children, are asking you for further support! I am scared that the only memories of our son's childhood will be hospital-related. Please, help me save my child. Any little donation matters! Every kind gesture has a great power - yours can work miracles! 

Kasia, Chris's mom

FUNDRAISER DESCRIPTION 

I never would have thought that I would need to ask for money for my child's treatment. I used to be the one who supported and followed various fundraisers for sick children and thanked God mine were healthy. Today, the tables have turned, and we must ask you for help in raising funds for our little son. 

Our story began on September 28. That date changed our lives. We rushed our youngest son to the emergency room. He had a fever, a cold, and a tense fontanelle. The blood test results showed a common infection. Just as we were about to head home, our doctor decided to perform an ultrasound of Chris' head and tummy.

As it turned out, our 7-month-old son had two tumors on the adrenal glands (one of them measuring 8 x 6 cm) and numerous tumors in the liver!

On the same day, the ambulance transferred us to the Children's Memorial Health Institute's cancer unit in Międzylesie. We created two teams. Chris and I stayed in the hospital, and my husband and our three older children returned home. A difficult chapter of life has begun for all of us. 

Chris underwent all necessary examinations, including the CT scan, and had the large tumor with the right adrenal gland removed. He had liver and bone marrow biopsies, trephine biopsy, and a catheter inserted. It's hard to watch your child in the ICU, with tubes and cannulas stuck to his tiny body. You must also learn how to nurse him, which is a great responsibility. 

The test results confirmed the earlier diagnosis: stage 4 neuroblastoma, a type of adrenal gland cancer. It's hard for me to even write about it. Chris is our one-year-old rainbow baby who already has gone through so much!

That wasn't the end of bad news, though. The molecular tumor testing detected n-MYC amplification. Another examination showed bone tumors. The doctors started a specific treatment protocol that involves intense, complex therapies that take a heavy toll on overall health. 

Chris has already undergone six cycles of chemotherapy, followed by mandatory blood and/or platelet transfusion. As a result, he developed ascites, and since he stopped urinating, he required catheterization. Thankfully, the doctors managed to improve his condition so he could receive another chemo. 

At that time, we felt fear, anxiety, pain, and tears. Chris was on the verge of going back to the ICU. Also, the chemo affected his immune system, making him prone to upper respiratory tract infections. As a result, we frequently visited the hospital. 

The treatment is working, though. The tumors on the liver and above the left adrenal gland have shrunk. Provided that the next eight rounds of chemo turn out to be successful and result in remission, Chris will undergo another stage of treatment - an autologous stem cell transplant, followed by radiation therapy and immunotherapy. 

Unfortunately, the presence of N-Myc amplification is associated with a higher risk of cancer recurrence. As parents, we will travel anywhere in the world to get help! Recently, we learned about a cancer vaccine that is available in the United States which we cannot afford - it's too expensive!

Please donate and help us purchase the vaccine so our son can reunite with his siblings and enjoy his childhood outside the hospital! Although he's too small to remember the treatment, it's heartbreaking to watch him take his first steps in the hospital corridor instead of at home. 

Only treatment and a vaccine can save him. Our only wish is for him to stay alive!

Chris' parents